January 2025
Important Events
- Monday, January 20, 2025: Dr. Martin Luther King Day (no school)
- Wednesday, January 29, 2025: Lunar New Year (no school)
Reading
We will continue module 5, children will read stories and texts that will help them identify the qualities many good leaders possess. They can learn to recognize these qualities in themselves so they can work to become good leaders in the classroom and in school. We will read about famous leaders in history, children who are leaders in their community, and opinions about what it takes to be a great leader. At home, make a special time and place to read with your child every day and try these activities during your reading time together: Snap your fingers when you read something that shows someone being a leader, work together to retell or summarize a text that you have read, and practice giving an opinion by sharing what you’d tell the author of a book you are reading.
Writing
We will continue module 5 is writing a personal essay. In this module children will
read a new story and write a personal essay, with an emphasis on the importance of
facing challenges. Children will learn more about how to write a personal essay that tells something special about themselves. It will be a challenge as well as learning something
new. Children will be encouraged to work hard, ask for help, and try new strategies when facing a difficult task. At home you can brainstorm ideas together what makes your child
unique. Use questions such as: What do you notice about your hair? Your eyes? Your
height ? Is there a game you play that you want to tell others about? Is there an activity
you do, like help a neighbor, that you want to tell others about?
Phonics
In topic 6 of our FUNdations, students will long vowel sounds. We are working on the v-e syllable. This stands for vowel- consonant-e (any vowel of consonant.) We will be spending time going from a closed syllable such as cap to a v-e, to a syllable such as, cape. It is the vowel e at the end of the word that is silent but makes the first vowel say its name. We will also learn that /s/ between two vowels can sound like a /z/. In topic 7, we will learn about open syllables, which have only one vowel without a consonant after it. We also will learn “y” as a vowel. It has two sounds in an open syllable. It is long like ”i” as in cry and long like ”e” as in baby. Please refer to your Family Connections letters found in your child’s folder for further guidance.
Math
In Topic 6 we will be learning to subtract double digits with and without regrouping. Throughout, the children will learn different ways to subtract that will mirror the ways they have learned in the addition chapter. Since addition and subtraction are related, the students will see a true relationship within this chapter. This unit can be difficult for some
students if they are not fast with their math facts. At home, children can study the math fact sheet that was sent home, along with creating flash cards. In Topic 7, the children will be learning to Solve Problems Involving Addition and Subtraction. Students will focus on representing and solving one-and two-step word problems, involving situation of “add to,” “take from,” “put together,” “take apart,” and with unknowns in any position. Students represent the numerical relationships in the word problems using drawings, bar graphs, and equation with a symbol for the unknown number. Then they fluently add and subtract within 100 to find the solution.
Science
In the Changing Landforms: The Disappearing Cliff unit, students use models to investigate how wind and water can cause changes to landforms. They learn that landforms made of solid rock undergo small-scale changes, and that over time, these changes add up to big changes. The unit begins with an introduction to changes to the cliffs by Oceanside Recreation Center, which serves as the anchor phenomenon for the unit. Exploration and investigation of models (through both physical models and student- made diagrams) allow students to generate and explore questions about wind and water changing landforms. At home you can search the internet to learn and discover different types of landforms and how they were formed.